Book here! 14 beautiful hotels inspired by literature

By Mridu Khullar Relph, for CNN

Updated 1131 GMT (1931 HKT) November 12, 2013

Beautiful literary-themed hotels around the world14 photos

The Algonquin Hotel, New York – The New Yorker was founded here in 1925, by a group of young writers who gathered daily for lunch at the hotel restaurant -- Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Alexander Woollcott.

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The Commons, Minneapolis – This "geek chic" boutique hotel on the University of Minnesota campus has resident "book butlers" who deliver books picked by guests from an in-room menu.

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The Hobbit Motel, Waitomo, New Zealand – This six-room quirky property came about because of a suggestion by a fan of "The Lord of the Rings" books -- the owner's wife.

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Les Plumes Hotel Paris – The literary theme of this Parisian hotel was inspired by its location -- a district dotted with the former homes of renowned literary writers such as Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud.

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The Nines, Portland, Oregon – The Nines works with Powell's, the largest independent bookstore in the world, and has created a lending library of more than 3,000 books for guests.

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Library Hotel, New York – Located on Library Way just one block from the New York Public Library, this hotel's collection of over 6,000 books is organized by the Dewey Decimal System. Each of the 10 guestroom floors honors one of the 10 categories of the system.

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Radisson Sonya Hotel, St. Petersburg, Russia – Inspired by Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment," the two suites in the Radisson Sonya Hotel are named Rebirth and Ego and the pattern of the carpets contains the initial passages of the novel in both English and Russian.

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Hotel Le Marcel, Paris – Touches of indigo, which the owners say is a major element of romantic literature, are sprinkled throughout this Parisian hotel.

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The Plaza, New York – F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda were regular patrons of The Plaza. As a tribute to the writer, the hotel unveiled The Fitzgerald Suite earlier this year. It was designed by Catherine Martin, the co-producer of Baz Luhrmann's adaption of "The Great Gatsby."

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The Heathman Hotel, Portland, Oregon – Built in 1927, the second Oregon hotel on our list owns one of the few cataloged lending hotel libraries in the United States. The library has 3,000 volumes.

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Apostrophe Hotel, Paris – Following the concept of the hotel as a poem, each room is themed with a verse, starting from the ground floor and continuing upwards.

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The NoMad Hotel, New York – During the design process, owner Andrew Zobler imagined the hotel to be a place where a young woman of aristocratic French birth had gone off on her own to experience New York. The books in the hotel's beautiful library are organized by the 15 subjects that they imagined this young woman would be reading, such as "The History of New York" and "Music."

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The Betsy -- South Beach, Miami – The Writer's Room at Miami's only literary arts hotel is home to the exiled Zimbabwean writer Chenjerai Hove.

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L'Hotel, Paris – The L'Hotel in Paris was made famous by Oscar Wilde, whose last words as he lay dying in the hotel were reportedly, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do."

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Story highlights

The New Yorker was founded in The Algonquin Hotel

Radisson Sonya Hotel in Saint Petersburg was inspired by "Crime and Punishment"

L'Hotel in Paris was made famous by Oscar Wilde, who lived and died at the hotel

They say that all fiction can be reduced to two basic plots: "a stranger comes to town" and "a man goes on a journey."

Which suggests travel and literature make for cozy bedfellows.

Here are some of the coolest hotels inspired by writers and their work.

1. The Algonquin Hotel, New York

Following the end of World War 1, a group of young writers decided to gather daily for lunch in a hotel restaurant.

The writers worked for Vanity Fair at the time, and as their careers flourished, they became the literary lions of the day.

They were Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Alexander Woollcott, among others, and the hotel was the Algonquin Hotel.

This Lord-of-the-Rings-themed hotel, located in Otorohanga, New Zealand, came about entirely by accident.

Where Gandalf vacays?

The owner was looking at building a property underground because the area is known for glowworm caves, and his engineer wife, who was a fan of the books, suggested that he build it "like a hobbit house."

The rooms at the Hobbit Motel include kitchens and can accommodate up to six people.

The literary theme of Les Plumes was inspired by its location -- a district dotted with the former homes of renowned writers.

The hotel's cushions bear the names of the famous lovers Juliette Drouet and Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud, and George Sand and Alfred de Musset, while the décor incorporates printed portraits and quotes.

The Library Hotel's concept was inspired by its proximity to the New York Public Library, just one block away.

New phrase: as symmetrical as a library.

Located on Library Way, the hotel's collection of over 6,000 books is organized by the Dewey Decimal System and each of the 10 guestroom floors honors one of the 10 categories of the system.

There are six rooms on each floor and each room is uniquely decorated with a collection of 25-100 books, as well as art that explores a distinctive topic within the classification of knowledge that the floor is dedicated to.

The Plaza's history is intrinsically tied to F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, who were both regular patrons.

The room designed after "Eloise."

The Fitzgerald Suite, unveiled in May this year, is a dramatic space that makes guests feel like they're in one of Fitzgerald's novels.

Designed by Catherine Martin, the co-producer of Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of "The Great Gatsby," this 700-square-foot space channels the dynamics of the Jazz Age using period-inspired pieces.

Another delightful venue at the hotel is Eloise at The Plaza, a one-of-a-kind shop, reading room and event venue which celebrates Kay Thompson's iconic children's book heroine, Eloise, who in the books lives at The Plaza.

The Plaza, Fifth Avenue at Central Park South, New York, New York; +188 8850 0909; The Fitzgerald Suite starts at $2,795 per night